Improvement in manufacturing illuminatimg-gas



W. H. TUP'PER MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING GAS. No.177,315. Patented May 9,1876.

N-PETERS, PHOITOJJTHOGRAPMER, WASHINGYON. D U

Nrrsn WILLIAM H. TUPPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Nov E T7315, dated May 9, 1876 application filed April 15, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. TUPPER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented anew and Improved Process in the 1\/Ianufacture of Illuminating-Gas from cotton waste, which improvement is fully set forth and described in the following specification, reference being also had to the accompanying drawing.

In the manufacture of illuminating-gas, while bituminous coal has long been the most extensively used, other substances have been growing into common use, among which (hitherto unsuccessfully attempted) I use the cotton-".vaste which has been utilized on railways commonly for stuffing the journal-homes of cars to hold the oil or other lubricating material, and which, by its complete saturation with oil and dirt, becomes worthless for all other purposes, but from which I make a comparatively cheap but brilliant lightinggas.

This waste, however, often contains acertain amount ofzinc, copper, or some other metallic substance, produced by the attrition of the journals in the alloyed bearings of the boxes, which, by the heat of the distillation, becomes sublimated, and seriously impairs the quality of the gas for illuminating purposes. Hitherto this difficulty has been so serious as to forbid the success of various attempts to utilize the materiah By various experiments I have found that this trouble may be overcome by the addition or application of salt water to the waste some time previous to charging the retorts.

Another difficulty which I have experienced is that this material is so inflammable (composed, as it is often, to a large extent, of the products of petroleum,) as to be almost explosive; that in charging the retorts with it in an unconfined state it iuflames so rapidly as to be inconvenient and almost unsafe, unless the old charge is raked out-and the retort allowed to cool. To prevent this I use a oasing or. cylinder of a size a little less than that of the retort, closed entirely at the front end, and having on this end a handle, or in it a hole to insert a rod, whereby it may be withdrawn when burnt out? On the other or back end is a hinged wire or perforated door' closing the casing or cartridge, as I term it, after it is filled, and secured in any suitable manner.

This improvement allows me to charge a retort, and also to withdraw a charge of the most inflammable materials instantaneously, and without danger of ignition.

The casing or cartridge, as above indicated, should be made preferably of wire or perforated iron, of such form and size that it will contain as large a quantity of the substances to be used as the retort will hold, and at the same time be inserted and withdrawn from the retort with ease.

The accompanying drawing shows a casing for use in a retort of cylindrical form, though any other convenient form may be used. One end of the same is closed, and the other pro vided with a wire or perforated door working upon a hinge, and to be closed and fastened in any suitable manner when the cartridge is charged and ready to be placed in the retort.

Figure l in the drawing shows a'erosssectional view of the casing with the door open, the door being represented at a. Fig. 2 shows a section of the casing viewed lengthwise, a representing the door open.

I am aware that cylinders with one end open have been used for distillation and combustion of substances.

I claim- 1. In the manufacture of illuminating-gas from fibrous waste containing oil and metallic particles, the process ot'sprinkling or wetting such waste with salt Water previous to charging it into the retort, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In the n'ianufacture of illuminating-gas from cotton-waste, the method of preventing the inflammation of the waste, which consists in charging said cotton waste with a perforated or reticulated cartridge, substantially as set forth.

WM. H. TUPPER. Witnesses:

JAMES S. GRINNELL, ADDISON O. RAND. 

